On stage

Even if Schosers have not yet hit the world stage there is some evidence of their acting talent.

Luzia Schoser played Helena in Shakespeare's romantic comedy 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at her school in Friedberg in September 2008. The school's assembly hall was sold out three evenings in a row and the actors are reported to have received standing ovations.

Stefan Schoser played Mr Otis in Oscar Wilde's comedy 'The Canterville Ghost'. In this play, Mr Otis is the father of a family who moves in an old English country house to find out that the house is haunted. The performance took place during a 'project week' at Progymnasium Burladingen in October 2006.

Who is next, please?

An emergency or health problem? Schosers can provide medical assistance.

Georg Schoser is executive medical director of the Tettnang hospital near Lake Constance. He is specialised in intensive care and anaesthesia and would therefore clearly know what to do in an emergency.

Karin Schoser is medical director of the county hospital of Tuttlingen on the Danube river. She is specialised in the treatment of strokes and responsible for the hospital's stroke ward.

Heike Schoser works in the dan gym of Burladingen. She is physiotherapist specialised in back problems and gives lessons in indoor cycling. Apart from these medical tasks she is responsible for membership administration.

In the case of psychological health problems, Steven Schoser may be able to help out. He works as family therapist for the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. ARTS is specialised in drug treatment programs for adolescents and offenders.

Methuselah

According to the Hebrew bible, Methuselah was 969 years old when he died. He is the oldest person mentioned in the bible and has become the symbol of longevity. Schosers have not quite yet reached such biblical age, but two Schosers - with the biblical names Mary and Josef - are almost centenarians.


Methuselah -

the oldest living tree

Mary Alice was born on 23 September 1905 in Durango, Colorado and died there on 6 September 2001 at the age of almost 96. She was the eldest of six children of Dora and Ludwig Schoser. She married Elmer Schumacher in October 1924 at the age of 19. The couple had three children and their marriage lasted 44 years until Elmer died in November 1968.

The longest living male Schoser appears to be Josef Schoser of Friedrichshafen. He turned 95 years on 27 September 2008. The local Südkurier mentions him also as one of the oldest participants in the local music festival in September 2008. If still alive Josef would now be 97 years old and the longest living Schoser ever recorded. Knowing that the region around Lake Constance where Friedrichshafen is situated is famous for its favourable and mild climate there is a chance that he is.

Schosenhof

Previously, we suspected that there was no street having Schoser in its name. We may have been wrong. There are possibly even two streets, or rather roads, relating to Schosers.

Hüfingen and Bräunlingen, two neighbouring small towns on the eastern edge of the Black Forest, possess roads called 'Schosenweg' and 'Schosemer Weg'. These two roads lead to farms called 'Schosenhof', more precisely to the upper and the lower Schosenhof situated on Hüfingen territory.

The resemblance of those road and farm names could be seen as weak evidence to actually link them to the Schoser family - if there weren't more: In fact, about 20 Schosers are recorded to have lived in Hüfingen in the 19th century! The earliest record refers to the marriage of Ludovik (Ludwig) Schoser in 1813 and the last to the christening of Frida Schoser in 1871.

It is not reported whether any of these Schosers really lived on 'Schosenhof', but who would want to doubt this? Does this make Schosenhof the cradle of a branch of the Schoser family? If so, of which? Today, Schosers have disappeared from Hüfingen and surroundings. Where did they go?

If carrying out some field research, one should not miss to pass by the 'Schosenhof' farms. They are situated in idyllic surroundings and one hosts a quaint inn called 'Schosemer Mostschöpfli'.

Girl power

In their free time, Schosers engage in all sorts of voluntary activities. This seems particularly true for female Schosers.

Sonja Schoser has a soft spot for another dog breed. She is member of the association of German shepherds. In the Mägerkingen section of this association she is 'breeding warden' giving advice on how to rear and breed these dogs.

Simone Schoser takes an active role in Spatzennetz, a parent association running a number of nursery groups and family activities in Tettnang. The association was founded by parents in need of child care not provided for by the authorities. Since 2009, Simone has been member of Spatzennest's management team with responsibility for festivities.

Angelika Schoser makes regular blood donations. In November 2008, she was honoured by the mayor of Burladingen for having donated for the 25th time. Afterwards, all regular blood donors were invited to re-liquefy their blood and have a glass of Champagne.

Reflection before action?

During the school year 2009/10, Luzia Schoser has served as student representative of the senior classes at her school Augustinerschule Friedberg. In spite of the responsibilities which come with this office, she and her fellow representatives still seem to have time for reflection. Moreover, Luzia seems to devote some of her free time to the baking 'Pfitzauf', a Swabian speciality resembling muffins, hopefully also to the benefit of others...

Pfitzauf

Uta Schoser is one of about 200 volunteers visiting families with newborns. In the first year of this campaign of the City of Cologne, the mother of six made already about 40 of such 'children-welcome-visits' to support the families and pass on her own experience. Part of Uta's motivation is her joy to get to see the babies.

Daria Schoser is one of 25 students at Apostelgymnasium in Cologne trained to apply first aid to other students. For those interested, the school plans to extend the qualification to the prevention of mobbing and acts of violence, a programme called 'Fit in Fair Play'.

Finally, Edith Schoser has for more than twenty years served as volunteer at the telephone help line of the Catholic Church Cologne. The line is meant for people in need or those just feeling lonely and looking for someone to talk to.

Carved in stone

Carl Schoser was stone carver in Steinhilben (Germany). The legacy of a work he carried out more than 160 years ago can still be seen in the Saint Pancras church in Steinhilben. It is a baptismal font made of red sandstone. The font was consecreated on 11 October 1846 and, since that day, more than 2600 children have been baptised at this font.

The same Carl Schoser is mentioned in the 'Court and Address Book of the Principality Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen' of 1844. Alongside the then mayor and treasurer, Carl is referred to as 'Saints custodian' ('Heiligenpfleger') of Steinhilben. While this is certain to be an honourable profession it is not quite clear what it actually meant.

Wanderlust & Wine Walk

Josef Schoser of Messkirch is a dedicated hiker. Josef has co-edited hiking guides for the Swabian Alb, the best known including 120 hiking tracks all along the Alb mountain range.

Between 1985 and 1997, Josef was also chairman of the Messkirch section of the Swabian Alb Club mainly organising hiking activities. Josef is still today a member of the board. In this function, he has guided a tour through the highest Alb mountains as recently as in July 2010.

Another long-standing member of the Messkirch Alb Club section is Josef's wife Zita Schoser. In March 2010, she was honoured for her 25 year membership in the club.

Another very enjoyable way of hiking is practised by Birgit Schoser of Mannheim. In May 2009 and in May 2010, she participated in the "Worms Wine Walk". Along the 14K track through vineyards, participants can taste wine offered by the local wine growers. Cheers!

Going to war

Many Schoser men went to war during the two World Wars. Some fell in battle.

Karl Schoser and Hermann Schoser are remembered on the Trochtelfingen cemetery as two of 128 inhabitants who 'did not come home' after the first or second World War. Hermann for example died in Northern France in March 1918 at the age of 20 after being wounded.

In the US, Horace Henry Schoser of Luzerne, Pennsylvania went to war towards the end of WWI. At the time, he and his wife Blanche had four small children: Grace M. (*1907), Ruth E. (*1909), Donald P. (*1911) and Elisabeth (*1916). Horace returned safely home. Some 24 years later in 1941, it was his son Donald who was enlisted to fight in WWII. Donald also survived the war and lived another, most probably more peaceful 42 years.

The poet

We are proud to announce that there is a poet among Schosers: Sam E. Schoser of Aztec, New Mexico. Let's go straight into the matter and present a sample of Sam's art from his blog!

The Storm

Clouds loom on the horizon
Thunder clashes
Winds blow
Loneliness takes hold


My mind goes to you
Safe in the distant land
Wondering if you think of me


Panic strikes
Fear sets in
Doubt builds like the dark clouds above
What if she doesn't think of me?
What if she has forgotten the wonderful feeling we share?


Then I see her face
And the fear yields
Like the sun returning after the storm
Peace settles in
And doubt drifts away

By Sam E Schoser (2006)

On the brink of financial meltdown

On 26 March 2009, in the midst of the worst economic and financial crisis since the 1930s, John Schoser took part in a panel discussion on asset management at the Urban Land Institute of the Chicago District Council. The precise title was “Asset Management: The Importance of Effective Management During Turbulent Times”. John was invited in his function as Morgan Stanley's executive director of merchant banking. Notably only a few months before, in September 2008, his own employer Morgan Stanley was said to be close to bankruptcy and almost fell victim to the crisis.

Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (1/1997-7/2010)

The general situation in March 2009 is also well illustrated by the fact that on 6 March 2009 the New York Stock Exchange hit its lowest point in 13 years representing a loss of more than 50% compared to its all-time high only 17 months earlier on.

During the discussion, John stated that the speed with which the economic turmoil had struck caught people by surprise. Moreover, he cautioned, “We are far from touching bottom and things are going to get way worse before they get better.” With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the economic situation started to improve in the course of 2009 because governments throughout the world intervened heavily to save banks and stimulate the economy.

In relation to his career, John was asked what skills an asset manager must have. “You’ve got to understand value, what creates it, what detracts from it. You need to have good financial skills, understand what net present value means and (understand) the financial impact of actions”, John replied. He also stressed being an effective negotiator, which rests partly upon your ability to set appropriate expectations with a variety of parties. A challenging job it would seem, in particular on the brink of global financial meltdown.

Be a sport!

Schosers practise a variety of sports beyond football, running and mountain biking mentioned previously. While they seem to like in particular all sorts of ball games, let's start with one sport which is probably the most uncommon: vaulting. The International Equestrian Federation describes vaulting as "a spectacular gymnastic performance whilst moving on a horse".

Among Schosers, Katharina 'Kati' has come to fame in vaulting, more precisely 'pas de deux' vaulting that is vaulting with two vaulters at the same time. She and her partner Stephanie finished in third place at the Saarland championship in 2007. Kati's riding club proudly features a picture of her and her partner on its homepage.

The Schoser brothers Chance and Chase have made their mark with baseball. During the 2003 season, they played in the 'Demons' Durango High School baseball team and their performances received substantial coverage in the local media. Four years later, both had swaped baseball for basketball and became official basketball coaches with the Colorado High School Activities Association.

Anja Schoser has a passion for handball. During the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, she played in the women's handball team of TSV Owen-Teck contributing several goals to the team's success. After a break as au pair in New York she played some more matches before leaving Owen to study in Augsburg.

Finally, the Schoser siblings Vincent and Valentina have shown great perseverance in the exercise of their sport. Recently, they have been honoured for their 10-year membership in their tennis club Rot-Weiß Trochtelfingen.

On holiday at Schösers

While Schosers are not known to be in the tourism business, this is the case for Schösers. Haus Schöser and apartment house Schöser in Hippach im Zillertal, Tyrol, Austria look like the perfect holiday destination. As they are situated in the Alpine Zillertal valley, they are worth a stay both in summer for hiking or in winter for skiing. In total, Marianne Schöser rents out four apartments and some individual guest rooms. The option of a ‘lavish, extended’ breakfast may be included. More info at: http://www.apartment-schoeser.at/

Kick it like Klose

With the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa approaching its climax, it seems fair to ask whether Schosers have only been watching football or whether they have got their act together and played some football themselves. The answer to this question rests with a small football club in Cologne: SC Borussia Hohenlind.

Three Schosers are active in this club. Konstantin Schoser plays for the bambini 2 team for those born in 2004. Last season his team played more than 20 matches against other club teams, the most remarkable being a 16:2 victory over RSV Urbach III.
One of his coaches is Alexander Schoser who at the same time plays in Hohenlind's A2 team for those under 19. Indeed, Alexander's A2 team finished the 2009/10 season as champions of their division!!
Finally, Borussia Hohenlind awarded in October 2009 a 'silver pin' to Martin Schoser for his 10-year membership. However rather than playing himself Martin seems to prefer watching football whether played by his sons or at the World Cup.

Naturalizing Schoser

According to the Durango Naturalization Records, Ludwig Schoser was seeking citizenship in the United States between 1904 and 1906. These records typically include information on the precise date of naturalization, the nation of origin and the number of years the person had resided in the United States. Unfortunately, this information is not available online so that one would have to consult the paper archives at the Fort Lewis College Foundation, Center of Southwest Studies in Durango to know what Ludwig's country of origin was and when he emigrated to the U.S..

What we do know about Ludwig from other sources is that he was married to Dora (Schirmer) and had four sons (John, Otto 'Barney', Leo and Frank Joseph) and two daughters (Mary and Emma). In fact, he is the progenitor of a substantial number of Schosers in the U.S. some of whom still live in the area of Durango, Colorado.

Screaming about change, emotion and problems of the world

Joe Schoser of Las Vegas, Nevada was second guitarist in the 'legendary' hardcore punk band Faded Grey which from 1998 to 2002 'woke up a sleepy Vegas underground'. The Las Vegas Weekly describes the band as 'five ebullient guys in their mid-20s, screaming about change, emotion and the problems of the world'. 
Joe joined the original foursome in 2000. In 2001, the band released its only full-length album, the 11-song A Quiet Time of Desperation, on influential hardcore label Indecision Records, then embarked on a 60-day tour across America. Footage from Faded Grey’s second-to-last show is available at youtube.
In April 2009, the Las Vegas Weekly reported what had become of the band members, Joe studying law in Portland, Oregon and planning to enter the field of human-rights law. Even though Faded Grey dissolved in 2002 and had only one reunion show in 2005, the memory of them lives on: http://www.myspace.com/armyofkids.

Schosership

Trouble financing your studies? The Schoser scholarship is for you then - more particularly the 'Otto and Virgina Schoser Scholarship'. It requires you however to study at the Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, USA.

The scholarship is named after Virigina Schoser, alumni in the class of 1928 of this college, and her husband Otto 'Barney' Schoser. As it happens, two Schosers seem to be studying Business Admininstration at this college: Chase Thomas Schoser and Chance Joseph Schoser. It is however not reported whether they are receiving this scholarship. In any event, Chance graduated in May 2010 with the Bachelor of Arts degree.

The Member of Parliament

Having been reelected to the City Council of Cologne in August 2009, Martin stood for yet another election on 9 May 2010. At stake was a seat in the regional Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia for which he needed to obtain a relative majority of votes in the Cologne II constituency. Martin succeeded by obtaining 38% of the personal votes (corresponding to 27 745 votes), 6.3 percentage points more than the second placed candidate.

Martin managed to gather more personal votes than there were votes for his party in the same constituency (23 831 votes corresponding to 32.6%). Martin will now be one of the 181 members of the North Rhine-Westphalia Parliament for the next five years.

The Royal House of Schoser – an almost true story

Marianna Schoser is related to Charlemagne/ Carolus Magnus/ Karl der Große (742 –814), King of the Franks, crowned Emperor in the year 800 by Pope Leo III, who expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. Marianna's relationship to Charlemagne is of the 68th degree, in other words, 68 relationships are required to connect her to Charlemagne. Marianna lived in Burbach, Germany and was married to Franz Firmery (1860 – 1929). Since her husband is related to Charlemagne to the 67th degree, Marianna herself did in fact not have royal blood but was related to Charlemagne by marriage only.

The photographer

Steven Michael Schoser likes photography and has become a master in flower photography. He lives in Denver, Colorado just a few hours from the Colorado Mountains. On his webpage, he writes:

"I have a thing for flower photography. This seems to be my niche, I love grabbing my camera and heading out to the local botanic gardens, or going for a drive up to the mountains and snapping a few shots of the lovely flora!"

Many of his photos are accessible on Flickr or on Imagekind where they can be purchased for about $ 16. Yet, it seems Steven is still to take a photo of a paphiopedilum schoseri.

The medicine man

Searching the Internet for Schosers' whereabouts and achievements, one is sooner or later bound to come across Benedikt G.H. Schoser. Arguably, Benedikt produces by far the most hits when searching the world-wide web for the name 'Schoser'. Hence, you would expect him to be a movie star, football player, astronaut or at least politician. Far from that, Benedikt is professor of medicine at the Baur Institute of the University of Munich. Being an academic, he seems to have firmly adopted the credo of the academic world which is 'publish or perish' explaining his wide Internet presence.

The Biomedexperts website provides for a profile of Benedikt's specialisations and publications. To give a taste, the most recent of his 81 publications recorded at this site is entitled 'The p.G154S mutation of the alpha-B crystallin gene (CRYAB) causes late-onset distal myopathy'. In layman's terms, Benedikt is specialised in neurology, more particularly myotonic dystrophy which is a genetic, neuromuscular disorder which is characterized by the slow relaxation of the muscles after voluntary contraction, usually becoming apparent in early adulthood. Due to its genetic origin, research on this disease involves the analysis of mutations in the DNA.

Based on the cities where an author or any of his co-authors have publications, the Biomedexperts website pictures a personal network. In Benedikt's case, it stretches over four continents - another indication of his world-wide web...